It is reported by Bassel et al. J. Bacteriol., 123(1), 1975, Pp. 118;14 122 that the accumulation of porphyrins has been observed in many microbial species including both photosynthetic and heterotrophic bacteria, yeast and protozoa. In particular, they report a mutant of the yeast Saccharomycopsis lipolytica a sexual form of Candida lipolytica (now termed Yarrowia lipolytica) that accumulates andsecretes protoporphyrin IX.
Yashizako et al. report in Agric. Biol. Chem., 49(3), 1985, Pp. 877-879 that the ability to convert phenylacetic acid to 2,5-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (homogentisic acid-HA) is widely present in fungi. They report experimentation with fungi of the genera Aspergillus Penicillium, Gibberella, Fusarium, Miucor, Rhizopus, Helminthosporium, Cylindrocarpon, Neurospora, Cephalosporium, Chaetomidium, Mortierella, Phellinus, Pellicularia, and Byssochlamys.
Amides and esters of homogentisic acid are described as being useful in the oxidative dyeing of hair in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,803.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,720 there is disclosed a chemical process for preparing homogentisic lactone, a precursor of homogentisic acid which the patentees characterize as being of value as a photographic dye developer and as an intermediate in the manufacture of dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals.
Oediger et al. disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 3,551,438 the reaction of homogentisic acid lactone with certain amines to produce homogentisic acid or amine derivatives thereof which exhibit strong and long lasting choleretic activity with low toxicity.